The 2026 sports calendar: every event worth clearing an evening for, month by month
A World Cup, a Winter Olympics, a Champions League final, the Ryder Cup, the F1 finale, and a heavyweight rematch. The full calendar — what to watch, when, and why each one matters.
2026 is one of the densest sports years on record. The Winter Olympics, the World Cup, the Champions League final, the Ryder Cup, the Tour de France, the F1 season finale in Abu Dhabi, and a heavyweight rematch that will headline the autumn calendar — and that is just the global tier. Add the league finals, the majors, and the regional cups, and almost every weekend has something worth your time.
This is the full month-by-month calendar of fixtures and events worth setting a reminder for. Bookmark it. Add the dates to your phone. Make sure your setup is sorted before kickoff — you do not want to discover a buffering problem ten minutes before a final.
January — The winter window
- Australian Open: 19 January–1 February. The first Slam of the year, a notoriously brutal heat test for the top seeds.
- FA Cup fourth round: 24–25 January. Where the giant-killing actually starts.
- NFL Conference Championships: 25 January. The week before the Super Bowl — usually the better games.
- Africa Cup of Nations final: 31 January. AFCON in Morocco this year, hosting in Casablanca.
February — Super Bowl and the Olympics
- Super Bowl LX: 8 February in Santa Clara. Halftime show TBC.
- Six Nations: opens 7 February. Six weekends of rugby across Europe.
- Winter Olympics: 6–22 February in Milan-Cortina. Ice hockey, alpine skiing, figure skating — three weeks of breakfast TV.
- Champions League round of 16, leg 1: 16–18 and 23–25 February.
March — March Madness and Champions League
- NCAA March Madness: 17 March–6 April. 68 teams, single-elimination, brackets ruined within 48 hours.
- Champions League round of 16, leg 2: 9–11 and 16–18 March.
- Formula 1 season opener: 8 March, Bahrain GP. First look at the new technical regulations.
- Cricket: ICC Champions Trophy if scheduled — confirm closer to the date.
April — The Masters and the Premier League run-in
- The Masters: 9–12 April, Augusta. The first major of golf''s season.
- Champions League quarter-finals: 7–8 and 14–15 April.
- Premier League run-in: every weekend matters from now until May.
- Boston Marathon: 20 April. The world''s oldest annual marathon.
May — Cup finals everywhere
- Champions League final: 30 May, Wembley.
- FA Cup final: 16 May.
- Indianapolis 500: 24 May. The crown jewel of IndyCar.
- Monaco GP: 24 May. F1''s most over-rated and over-watched race.
- French Open: starts 24 May, two weeks of clay-court attrition.
June — World Cup year
- FIFA World Cup: opens 11 June, USA / Canada / Mexico co-host. 48 teams for the first time.
- UEFA Euros qualifiers: ongoing through June.
- NBA Finals: starts 4 June, runs into late June.
- Stanley Cup Finals: 4–22 June (NHL).
- French Open final: 7 June.
July — Wimbledon, the Tour, World Cup knockout rounds
- Wimbledon: 29 June–12 July.
- Tour de France: 4–26 July. Three weeks of road cycling, the most beautiful broadcast on TV.
- World Cup knockout rounds: round of 16 starts 28 June, semi-finals 14–15 July, final 19 July.
- British Open (golf): 16–19 July at Royal Birkdale.
August — Premier League returns
- Premier League season opener: 15 August.
- La Liga, Bundesliga, Serie A: all kick off mid-August.
- US Open (tennis): 31 August–13 September.
- MotoGP British round: 23 August at Silverstone.
- NFL pre-season then Week 1: 4 September.
September — Ryder Cup and the new football season
- Ryder Cup: 25–27 September at Adare Manor, Ireland. USA vs Europe biennial team match.
- Champions League group stage: opens 16 September.
- NFL Week 1: 10 September (Thursday opener).
- F1 Singapore GP: 20 September, the season''s only true street race.
October — Heavyweight boxing season
- Major heavyweight rematch: late October — date and venue confirmed once the contract is signed. The biggest PPV of the year.
- World Series: starts 22 October.
- Champions League: matchdays 3 and 4.
- ATP Vienna and Basel: late October, late-season indoor swing.
November — College football and Champions League knockouts
- College football rivalry weekend: 28 November — Iron Bowl, The Game, etc.
- Champions League: matchday 5 and 6.
- Davis Cup finals: late November.
- ATP Finals: 8–15 November in Turin.
December — Boxing Day football and the F1 finale
- F1 Abu Dhabi GP: 6 December — season finale.
- Boxing Day fixtures: 26 December — all 20 Premier League clubs in action.
- Heavyweight title bout (TBC): traditional pre-Christmas date if a fight is on the calendar.
- Darts World Championship: 18 December–3 January at Alexandra Palace.
Get set up before kickoff, not during
The single most common support ticket we get is on the day of a major final from someone who has not tested their setup. Check your channels in the week before each event. Verify the EPG shows the right kickoff time in your timezone. If you run into buffering or a missing channel, you have time to fix it — not five minutes before kick-off.
PREMRED carries every channel above and most regional broadcasters. If you are still piecing together coverage from three different services, twenty-four hours costs $2 and you can compare side-by-side.
